No. 205, 27 October 1994

RUSSIA
HIJACKING ATTEMPT ENDS IN MAKHACHKALA. The aircraft hijacking of
an Aeroflot Yakovlev-40 plane in Dagestan ended 27 October when
one of the men who seized the plane killed himself, Western
agencies reported. Reports said the man blew himself up when
Russian security forces stormed the plane. All hostages had been
freed before then and no one else was injured. The other hijacker
had surrendered earlier. The plane was hijacked in Makhachkala,
the capital of Dagestan, during the night of 25-26 October. The
hijackers, identified as two Azerbaijani nationals, demanded a $2
million ransom, a tank full of gas and free passage to Iran. By
evening on 26 October, the hijackers demands had been met, and
they released all passengers and one of the three members of the
plane's crew. -- Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.
BACKGROUND ON THE DUMA'S NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE. Russian Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin presented the 1995 state budget to
the Duma on 27 October. After discussion of the budget, the Duma
will take a vote of confidence in Chernomyrdin's government,
agencies reported 27 October. According to the constitution,
however, the Duma does not have the power to force the government
to resign--only President Boris Yeltsin has such prerogative.
Yeltsin, who has expressed his support for Chernomyrdin, is not
required by the constitution to act on a first vote of no
confidence by the Duma, but only if a second vote of no-confidence
is taken within three months of the first. Then he would have two
options: to ask the government to resign; or to disband parliament
and set a date for new elections, thereby retaining the present
government in transition. Finally, the constitution does not
provide for no-confidence votes in individual ministers, it can
only take such a vote in the entire government. State-run Radio
Rossii stressed on 26 October that the Duma's deputies are well
informed about these options and that they will focus hard on
Chernomyrdin's budget proposal. The main debate is expected to be
on the question of whether to preserve massive government
subsidies for the debt-ridden military-industrial complex and the
agrarian sector. -- Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL Inc.
SOLZHENITSYN TO ADDRESS DUMA ON 28 OCTOBER. Interfax cited State
Duma officials on 25 October as saying that Nobel prize winner
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn will address the Duma on 28 October at 4
p.m. (Moscow time). The significance of the event was elaborated
on in the liberal daily Izvestiya on 20 October, identifying
Solzhenitsyn as probably the only man in Russia who enjoys the
respect of all politicians regardless of their political
affiliations. -- Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.
VARIOUS PARTIES TO COMPETE FOR SEAT OF MURDERED DUMA DEPUTY.
Twelve candidates will compete in an election on 30 October for
the seat of murdered Duma deputy Andrei Aizderdsis, Izvestiya
reported 26 October. Among the favored candidates are Aleksandr
Fedorov, deputy to Aleksandr Barkashov, the leader of the fascist
organization Russian National Unity; maverick businessman Sergei
Mavrodi, recently released from custody as the head of the MMM
pyramid scheme; Olga Volkova, representative of Sergei Shakhrai's
Party of Russian Unity and Concord; and communist candidate
Aleksandr Zharov. Fedorov and his party carried out a
well-organized and aggressive campaign under the motto "Down With
Zionism," according to Izvestiya. At a recent election rally they
booed the leader of the Party for Economic Freedom, Konstantin
Borovoy, who is Jewish. While campaigning for the election, the
communists have tried to distance themselves from Fedorov's party.
-- Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL Inc.
DUMA ADOPTS DRAFT LAW ON BROADCASTING. On 26 October the State
Duma adopted the first reading of a controversial draft law on
television and radio. Ostankino and Russian television newscasts
reported that the bill provides "exclusive" state supervision over
the Russian electronic media, puts limitations on the number of
foreign films and documentaries on the country's airwaves, and
begins a campaign aimed at purifying the Russian language used on
radio and television. According to the reports, the bill would set
up a special federal agency to monitor the content of all programs
on national and regional radio and TV stations, both public and
private. -- Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.
GREEN LIGHT GIVEN FOR UNIFIED COMMAND. Russian Defense Minister
Pavel Grachev told navy personnel in Petropavlovsk on 26 October
that a territorial unified command would be set up on the basis of
the Far Eastern military district. Interfax quoted Grachev as
saying the command would be in charge of all arms and services in
the Far East except for strategic nuclear forces. Grachev had
announced in April 1993 that such a command was to be established
by 1995, with a joint commander who would also be a deputy defense
minister with his headquarters near Komsomolsk-on-Amur. In May of
this year, however, he said the plan had been put on hold pending
more exercises to verify the concept. -- Doug Clarke, RFE/RL Inc.
DUMA REJECTS DRAFT APPEAL AGAINST ATTACKS ON MILITARY LEADERS.
According to Interfax and ITAR-TASS, on 26 October the State Duma
rejected a draft appeal to Russian media and political movements
that condemns attacks on military leaders suspected by some of
being involved in the assassination of newspaper reporter Dmitrii
Kholodov--i.e., Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and his deputy
Matvei Burlakov, the former commander of Russian troops in
Germany. The appeal was submitted by members of Vladimir
Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who are on the Duma's
Defense Committee, the LDP's deputy leader, Aleksandr Vengerovsky
told Ostankino TV. -- Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.
GLOBAL MAFIA LAUNDERING ITS MONEY IN RUSSIA? Ministry of Internal
Affairs (MVD) Colonel Vladimir Ovchinskii said in the Russian
daily Trud on October 22 that organized criminal networks control
about 40,000 Russian companies and banks. Ovchinskii said the
international mafia and especially Latin American drug cartels are
showing a keen interest in laundering their money in Russia, while
the directors of state enterprises are gladly accepting the money
as investments. Ovchinskii said about 400 Russian commercial
institutions have been created with the help of capital provided
by criminal organizations. Ovchinskii is the author of the book
"Mafia: Unannounced Visit." -- Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL Inc.
SCIENTIST: CHEMICAL WEAPONS TREATY UNDER THREAT. Dr. Lev Fyodorov,
head of the Union for Chemical Security and an environmental
activist, told a Moscow press conference on 25 October that the
State Duma Defense Committee might recommend that the parliament
not ratify the January 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. As
reported by Interfax, Fyodorov complained that environmental
organizations had not been allowed to attend the committee's 11
October closed hearings on the treaty. He alleged that officers
from the defense ministry had spoken against the treaty. Fyodorov
said that his organization would organize a public campaign should
the committee recommend that the treaty not be ratified. While 157
countries have signed the treaty--which would ban the production,
possession, or use of chemical weapons--only 14 have ratified it.
It will not come into force until 180 days after it has been
ratified by 65 states. -- Doug Clarke, RFE/RL Inc.
TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
TAJIK OPPOSITION STIPULATES CONDITIONS FOR EXTENDING CEASE-FIRE.
The head of the Tajik opposition delegation to the UN-sponsored
talks in Islamabad, Akbar Turajonzada, told Interfax on 26 October
that the opposition would agree to extending the existing
cease-fire within Tajikistan and along the Tajik-Afghan frontier
for two months (i.e. until 6 January) provided that the government
implements its promise to release 52 political prisoners and
agrees to further talks on setting up a state council and
abandoning criminal proceedings against opposition figures.
Presidential candidate Abdumalik Abdullodzhanov called on the
opposition to abandon their proposed boycott of the 6 November
elections, arguing that civic accord could be attained only
through "open and sincere dialogue." Meanwhile, on 26 October the
Tajik authorities introduced a curfew in the opposition stronghold
of Gorno-Badakhshon, reportedly in order to combat an upsurge in
fighting between local criminal gangs. -- Liz Fuller, RFE/RL Inc.
TBILISI BANK DIRECTORS ABSCOND WITH $50 MILLION. Several hundred
irate investors blocked the main boulevard in Tbilisi on 25
October to protest the disappearance of the directors of the
investment bank Okros Tasi (Golden Bowl) with some $50 million and
to demand their money back, Interfax and Reuters reported. Meeting
with the protesters at their request, Georgian Parliament Chairman
Eduard Shevardnadze promised to create a commission to investigate
the situation. -- Liz Fuller, RFE/RL Inc.
CIS
RYURIKOV PLAYS DOWN CIS SUMMIT RESULTS. Boris Yeltsin's foreign
affairs adviser, Dmitrii Ryurikov, told Ostankino TV on 25 October
that what had been presented as the chief "concrete" result of the
21 October CIS summit in Moscow, namely the Interstate Economic
Committee (IEC), had, for the time being, been endowed with only
modest powers: "research, preparation of documents for the
meetings of heads of states and of governments, recommendations to
CIS member states. Later on, and to the degree agreed upon by the
states, the IEC will also perform executive functions." Ryurikov
strongly agreed with Yeltsin that the creation of the IEC
"demonstrated the need for integration" but mused that
"reconciling the interests of twelve states is a very complex
matter." -- Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.
LEBED, "DNIESTER" LEADERS DISMISS TROOP WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT.
Lt.-General Aleksandr Lebed told Western visitors that his 14th
Army's personnel "spit on" the troop withdrawal agreement recently
signed by Moldova and Russia, Reuters reported from Tiraspol on 23
October. In interviews with Interfax on 21 October, Ostankino and
Russian TV on 22 October, and Krasnaya zvezda of 26 October, Lebed
reiterated the false claim that most of the 14th Army's servicemen
are "local inhabitants" or "area natives" and will therefore
refuse to withdraw, choosing instead to serve in the "Dniester"
forces. Lebed predicted that only the 14th Army's command with the
flag and the seal will eventually withdraw. He also predicted that
his Army as such will stay put for a substantially longer time
than the three years envisaged in the withdrawal agreement,
because "the withdrawal is linked to the resolution of the
Dniester problem." Lebed was nevertheless pleased that the troop
withdrawal agreement, in his view, "confers a clear legal status
on the [14th] Army," and "no one will hence be able to describe us
as 'occupants'." "Dniester republic" president Igor Smirnov and
Supreme Soviet vice chairman Aleksandr Karaman, who are in
conflict with Lebed personally, echoed most of his arguments in
interviews with Russian TV on 22 October, Interfax on 25 October,
and Krasnaya zvezda on 26 October. -- Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.
WOULD-BE STATES CONFER. A "friendship and cooperation treaty" was
signed on 22 October in Tskhinvali, Georgia, by delegates from
host South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the "Dniester" and
Gagauz "republics," Russian TV reported that day. Before the
signing, the delegations attended the 220th anniversary
celebrations in Vladikavkaz of the Russian Empire's incorporation
of North Ossetia, Basapress reported. The four would-be republics,
together with Abkhazia, formed a "union of unrecognized states" in
1993 and have since concluded bilateral and multilateral treaties
with one another. -- Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES OFFENSIVE NEAR BIHAC. RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service and international media reported on 26 October that
government forces took barracks from which the Serbs had shelled
Bihac in northwestern Bosnia. The mainly Muslim Fifth Corps ousted
the Serbs from the strategic Grabez plateau to the east of the
UN-designated "safe area" and headed along the Una River toward
Bosanska Krupa. The unit is now pushing south toward Bosanski
Petrovac in an apparent attempt to break through Serb lines and
end the isolation of the "Bihac pocket." A Serb counteroffensive
is expected. The Serbs have the advantage in tanks and artillery,
but the government forces have more men and generally better
morale. Radio Bosnia and Herzegovina on 27 October led off with
the story on the "liberated territories," reported to cover 150
square kilometers. -- Patrick Moore, RFE/RL Inc.
DANES BLAST SERBIAN TANK IN NORTHERN BOSNIA. International media
reported on 26 October that a Bosnian Serb T-55 tank fired on
Danish peacekeepers, whose Leopard tanks returned the fire.
Reuters said it was "the second major assault on UN troops in
Bosnia this week," but the UN had no casualties in either. One
Leopard suffered slight damage and a Serb recoilless rifle was
"neutralized." The UN stressed that "the best tank-killing weapon
is another tank. In the end, air [support] was not needed." The
incident took place near Gradacac, a transportation hub and
historic town that Muslim and Croat forces have been jointly
defending for over two years. -- Patrick Moore, RFE/RL Inc.
MALAYSIA WANTS TO HELP MUSLIM-CROAT COOPERATION. Reuters reported
from Kuala Lumpur on 26 October on the joint visit to Malaysia by
Croatian Prime Minister Nikica Valentic and his Bosnian
counterpart, Haris Silajdzic. Malaysian Foreign Minister Ahmad
Abdullah Badawi said his country would help promote the fledgling
Muslim-Croat federation and the confederation between Bosnia and
Croatia through a series of economic projects. He added that
Malaysia believes "comprehensive cooperation between
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia is very important and can
contribute to the peace process." Bosnia has asked one Malaysian
to sit on the board of its new Agency for Reconstruction and
Development and another to head its strategic planning office. --
Patrick Moore, RFE/RL Inc.
MILOSEVIC MEETS WITH STOLTENBERG, OWEN. Politika on 27 October
reports that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic met with
Thorvald Stoltenberg and David Owen the previous day, before the
two international mediators traveled to Zagreb for meetings with
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. On the top of the agenda in
their meeting with Milosevic was the status of Krajina, a
Serb-occupied territory carved out from roughly a quarter of
Croatia. Milosevic reportedly sought to avoid acting as official
negotiator for the Krajina Serb side. But AFP on 26 October
suggests that, during his meeting with the mediators, the Serbian
president was unwilling to isolate the Krajina Serbs completely,
since his recognition of Croatian jurisdiction over Krajina
remains out of the question as long as Croatia does not
acknowledge "the legitimate interests of secessionist Croatian
Serbs." Stoltenberg and Owen are scheduled to chair meetings
between Krajina and Croatian officials on 27 October, but it
appears that any resolution of remaining differences between the
two sides is highly unlikely. Self-styled Krajina Foreign Minister
Milan Babic has already expressed his intention to boycott the
talks. -- Stan Markotich, RFE/RL Inc.
RUGOVA URGES MACEDONIAN ALBANIANS TO FORM COALITION. Kosovar
shadow state president Ibrahim Rugova has called on Albanian
political parties in Macedonia to form a coalition for the second
round of elections in order to gain a larger number of seats in
parliament, Rilindja reported on 22 October. Rugova added that "a
political compromise does not show weakness but quality." The
biggest Albanian party in Macedonia, the Party of Democratic
Prosperity, split at a February congress into a parliamentary and
a rival, radical wing. The parliamentary group plans to run in the
second round of the elections under the party's old name, while
the leaders of the radical faction, Menduh Thaci and Arber
Xhaferi, are listed as independent candidates in the Tetovo
district, Rilindja reported on 24 October. The second round of the
elections are to take place on 30 October. -- Fabian Schmidt,
RFE/RL Inc.
POLISH JUSTICE MINISTER ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF CORRUPTION.
Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said on 26 October that 21 government
officials have violated the anti-corruption law by being involved
in private companies. They are likely to be either dismissed from
their posts or downgraded. Cimoszewicz also said 69 ranking
officials---including three current ministers--have broken the law
by drawing a supplementary income from sitting on supervisory
boards of companies in which the state has a stake. The Polish
media commented that it is unclear what, if anything, will happen
to these officials because the law on supplementary income is
rather vague. Cimoszewicz expressed the hope that his report will
prompt changes in the legislation. -- Jan de Weydenthal, RFE/RL
Inc.
POLAND BEGINS REDUCTION OF EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL DEBT. Poland on 27
October is to launch its long-awaited "commercial debt and debt
service reduction program" by buying some 25 percent of its
outstanding debt, estimated at $14.3 billion. To facilitate this
move, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have each
provided Poland with $400 million loans, while the Polish National
Bank and government will spend in excess of $1 billion. The
remainder of the debt will be paid off using Poland's own
resources. Various bonds are to be issued to increase funds for
this purpose. Rzeczpospolita on 27 October says the start of the
program will help Poland regain credibility on the world financial
markets. At the end of 1993, Poland's external debt amounted to
$47.7 billion dollar, or 55 percent of the country's gross
domestic product. Sixty percent of the debt was to the Paris Club
of industrialized countries, 26.6 percent to commercial banks, 5.4
percent to the member countries of the former CMEA, and 7.6
percent to others. -- Jan de Weydenthal, RFE/RL Inc.
CZECH POLICE CHIEF DISMISSED. The Czech government on 26 October
fired police chief Stanislav Novotny amid controversy over the
recent fatal shootings of two German tourists by Czech police, CTK
and Reuters report. Internal Affairs Minister Jan Ruml told a news
conference that Novotny had been trying to sever relations between
the police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He accused the
police chief of trying to make the police more autonomous and
create a parallel structure to the ministry. Ruml did not link the
dismissal to the shootings of the German tourists. A ministry
spokesman said on 25 October that the reason for Novotny's
dismissal was "a question of professionalism." -- Jiri Pehe,
RFE/RL Inc.
COMPLICATIONS ON SLOVAK POLITICAL SCENE. Slovak media on 26
October reported that during discussions the previous day on the
first session of the parliament, a major controversy arose over
the current government's participation in that session. Under the
Slovak Constitution, a government member cannot simultaneously
hold a seat in the parliament. Because a new cabinet has not yet
been formed, this poses a problem for the members of Premier Jozef
Moravcik's government, 15 of whom have been elected as
parliamentary deputies. Christian Democratic Movement Chairman Jan
Carnogursky said the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, the
Slovak National Party, and the Association of Slovak Workers are
in favor of the first parliamentary session opening with 135
members, rather than the 150 required by the constitution. This
would give the MDS and the SNP a parliamentary majority until a
new government is formed. President Michal Kovac on 27 October
will meet with the leaders of all parties represented in the new
parliament for discussions on forming a coalition cabinet. --
Sharon Fisher, RFE/RL Inc.
US PRESIDENTIAL AIDE IN SLOVAKIA. Richard Schifter, aide to US
President Bill Clinton and deputy chairman of the US Committee on
Central and Eastern Europe, visited Slovakia on 26 October.
Schifter, in a meeting with Slovak President Michal Kovac, said
the US government has been following postelection developments in
Slovakia and believes the new government will continue to be
democratic, observe human rights, and pursue economic reform.
Kovac said he is convinced that, despite the difficult coalition
discussions, the new cabinet will not deviate from the present
course of building a market economy and strengthening democracy.
Schifter also met with representatives of the ethnic Hungarian
parties to discuss the current political situation, TASR reported.
-- Sharon Fisher, RFE/RL Inc.
HUNGARY REQUESTS EU LOAN. Prime Minister Gyula Horn confirmed
reports earlier in the week that Hungary has requested a European
Union loan worth 2 billion ecu ($2.5 billion) for restructuring
purposes, according to MTI on 26 October. Horn said prospects for
receiving the loan are good but Hungary has first to reach an
agreement with the IMF. He also said Hungary will need credits
worth some $8-10 billion to stimulate economic growth. -- Karoly
Okolicsanyi, RFE/RL Inc.
ROMANIAN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES KEEPS HOMOSEXUAL BAN. Romania's
Chamber of Deputies on 25 October voted to maintain the present
ban on homosexual acts, Radio Bucharest and Western agencies
report. The chamber, during debates on a new penal code, voted in
favor of keeping Article 200 of the old code, which provides for
prison sentences of up to five years for homosexual acts. The
Senate previously voted that penalties should apply only if such
acts cause a public scandal. A committee made up of
representatives from both houses will now have to decide on the
issue. Human rights groups and the Council of Europe have appealed
to Romania to drop the ban on homosexuals. The head of the
Helsinki Committee organization in Romania criticized the vote in
the chamber, saying that the state had no right to interfere in
the individual's private life. -- Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL Inc.
BULGARIAN ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER SEES FUTURE WITH EUROPE. Ivan
Stanchoff, at his first press conference on 26 October, stressed
that Bulgarian foreign policy would emphasize ties with the West.
He said the ultimate aim of Bulgarian policy ought to be
membership in such international organizations as NATO and the
European Union. Stanchoff also noted that relations with Russia
remained of great importance. He indicated that during his tenure
he would seek to promote foreign trade and investment. It is
unclear whether Stanchoff will continue to hold the foreign
affairs portfolio after the upcoming parliamentary elections,
scheduled for 18 December. -- Stan Markotich, RFE/RL Inc.
UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT CLOSED. The first reactor of the
Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station was shut down on 25 October
because of a fault in the generator's feedwater pipeline,
Ukrinform-TASS reported the next day. The repairs are expected to
take six days. -- Ustina Markus, RFE/RL Inc.
IMF APPROVES LOAN FOR UKRAINE. An RFE/RL correspondent on 27
October reported that the IMF has approved its first loan--worth
$371 million--to Ukraine. The funds will be used to transform
Ukraine's economy, including price and trade liberalization, and
to establish control over government spending and the money
supply. The loan was heralded as the first stage of a major effort
to aid Kiev. If Ukraine uses the loan successfully, another $371
million installment will be approved in six months. -- Ustina
Markus, RFE/RL Inc.
BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION CRITICIZES LUKASHENKA. The opposition
Belarusian Popular Front convened to discuss President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka and his new government's performance during the first
100 days of his presidency, Belarusian Radio reported on 25
October. The BPF said after the meeting that Lukashenka has made a
number of errors that will accelerate the country's economic
decline. It also began preparations for next spring's
parliamentary elections by forming a bloc of democratic forces. --
Ustina Markus, RFE/RL Inc.
BELARUSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ON HIS PREDECESSOR. Anatol Kastenka,
in a recent interview with Zvyazda, said he did not believe there
was any place for former Defense Minister Paval Kazlouski in the
military forces. Lukashenka has accused Kazlouski of abusing his
office and has demoted him. Kazlouski has refuted the charges.
Kastenka says his predecessor is aware that there is no place for
him in the armed forces. -- Ustina Markus, RFE/RL Inc.
"DNIESTER" SCHOOL CONFLICT INTENSIFIES. The "Dniester" militia on
24 October evicted Moldovan parents, teachers, and students from
Bendery's only Moldovan school still teaching in the Roman
alphabet. The militia also cordoned off the school. Bendery's
other Moldovan school--at which Moldovans have been demanding the
reinstatement of the banned Roman alphabet--has been converted by
a "Dniester" decree into a Russian-Moldovan school obligated to
use the Russian alphabet only, Basapress reported on 24 October.
The same day, a group of Russian Cossack volunteers for the
"Dniester" forces caused serious damage to the last remaining
Moldovan school in Tiraspol. One week earlier, CSCE General
Secretary Wilhelm Hoynck, during a visit to Moldova, urged
"Dniester" leaders to show tolerance and restraint on the alphabet
issue. -- Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.
EU ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP FOR BALTIC STATES RECOMMENDED. The
European Union's Executive Commission on 26 October adopted a
policy paper on the Baltic region saying it would seek a mandate
from the Council of EU Ministers to negotiate "Europe Agreements"
with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Western agencies report.
These agreements, which amount to associate member status, have
been signed with six other East European countries--Bulgaria, the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The EU has
signed free trade agreements with the Baltic States, to go into
effect on 1 January 1995. -- Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.
US UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE IN LITHUANIA. Lynn Davis, US
undersecretary of state for arms control and international
security affairs, said at a press conference in Vilnius on 26
October that her meetings with Foreign Minister Povilas Gylys and
other high-ranking officials had started a "very important"
dialogue, Radio Lithuania reports. She said that Lithuania was on
the right track toward integration with Western economic and
security structures and that the process would not be hindered by
Russian military transit through its territory. She avoided
answering directly whether Lithuania's special services were
prepared to combat nuclear smuggling or drug trafficking but
assured every kind of assistance from US experts. The same day,
she traveled to Tallinn and will also visit Poland, Latvia, and
the Czech Republic. -- Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.
MILITARY TRANSIT THROUGH LITHUANIA. Lithuanian Foreign Ministry
Secretary Albinas Januska on 26 October said Russia does not
recognize the recently adopted Lithuanian military transit
regulations, Interfax reports. The Russian Foreign Ministry was
reported to have sent an unsigned fax to the Lithuanian
government. Russian chief negotiator with Lithuania Viktor Isakov,
however, said Russia has not officially responded to the military
transit regulations. He said talks on a military transit agreement
should continue and noted that a planned meeting in Moscow on 27
October had been postponed for a week at Lithuania's request. --
Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.
COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMITTEE SUPPORTS LATVIAN MEMBERSHIP. The
Legislative Committee of the Council of Europe, meeting in Rome on
24 October, has backed Latvia's full membership in the CE. The
committee recommended Latvia's admission after listening to a
report on Latvia by German representative Friedrich Vogel. The
group also considered convening in February the Ministerial
Committee--the CE's highest executive body. The Ministerial
Committee's decision would formally conclude the process of
Latvia's admission. Meanwhile, Latvian Saeima Chairman Anatolijs
Gorbunovs has received letters from his Belgian, British,
Norwegian, Finnish, Swiss, and Polish counterparts supporting
Latvia's acceptance into the CE, according to BNS reports on 25
and 26 October. -- Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.
[As of 1200 CET] (Compiled by Jan Cleave and Pete Baumgartner)
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